"Miss Ruan, which sect are you from?"

"... I don't belong to any sect. What about you all?"

"We are all from the same sect, as you can see from our matching attire. Miss Ruan, Miss Ruan, why are you alone? Where is your master?"

"... My master did not come with me. Why do you ask? Where is your master?"

"Actually, our sect is quite small, so the elders and our master are very busy and cannot escort us to the conference."

"Miss Ruan, Miss Ruan, why-"

"…"

'This person is so noisy! Is it wrong for me to be with them? After we all introduced ourselves, they kept asking questions!'

Hearing her companions' constant questions made Ruan Xiaoyue very annoyed. She even regretted the decision she had made earlier.

"That's enough, you're asking too many questions. Look, Miss Ruan is getting upset because of your questions."

"But, Senior Xue, we weren't asking personal questions. We were just curious and wanted to know more about her. …Sorry, Miss Ruan, if we made you upset!"

Seeing Senior Xue glaring at her juniors, they finally bowed to apologize for their excessive questioning that had upset Miss Ruan.

Ruan Xiaoyue nodded at their apology. She didn’t mind too much because, from her past experiences, she knew they were good people; they were just curious, which made them ask a lot of questions.

Feeling awkward with the silence as they walked, Senior Xue tried to lighten the mood by asking Ruan Xiaoyue.

"Sorry if I ask again, Miss Ruan. Before you met us, was it alright for you to come alone to this Death Forest? Although I see your cultivation is quite high, isn’t it risky to go alone without a supervisor or a companion, especially since you are still young?"

"It’s fine. After all, my master told me to explore the Death Forest alone. My master also believes that I am strong enough to survive exploring this forest."

"O-okay, b-but isn't it still risky? I see you are only wearing a worn robe and carrying things for daily activities. You didn’t even bring any weapons or protective talismans. M-maybe? …Hik, Miss Ruan, don’t worry. Even though you are stronger than me, I will make sure to protect you while you are in the Death Forest!"

“O-oi, stop! Why are you suddenly hugging me and crying? Let me go, oi!”

Confused by Senior Xue’s sudden change while talking to her, Ruan Xiaoyue could only passively accept the hug as Senior Xue said, “It’s okay, I, Sister Xue, will definitely protect you.” She was truly bewildered by Senior Xue’s sudden tears and sympathetic gaze. Even when her juniors asked Senior Xue why she was crying while hugging Ruan Xiaoyue, Senior Xue simply answered, "It’s a secret" to cover up her reasons.

Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

Due to the misunderstanding she was unaware of, Ruan Xiaoyue's journey became quite frustrating because of Senior Xue's desperate attempts to get close to her.

---

"It seems we have arrived."

"Wow, so this is the venue for the alternate realm conference. Wow, so many cultivators gathered here. Senior Xue, now that we’re here, what should we do? Should we wait for the alternate realm to open?"

"Yes, we have to wait. It seems we are quite fortunate to have arrived here before the alternate realm opens."

Hearing Senior Xue speak to her juniors, Ruan Xiaoyue just listened without joining the conversation. She was more focused on the cultivators at the alternate realm conference. It felt like a dream to see so many cultivators gathered, especially since she was one of them.

‘I am truly grateful for following my master, who has changed my life. My master has made me into a cultivator that many ordinary people desire.’

As Ruan Xiaoyue was reminiscing about her past, suddenly a group of cultivators approached them, led by a man who seemed arrogant to her, and spoke to them.

"Xue Lanting, I expected you would come here too. Seeing that you are only three with your junior, why didn’t you join my group? I would certainly take good care of you and your junior."

"Sorry, Fellow Daoist Xiao Li, my juniors and I cannot join you. We are enough with just the three of us and believe we can take care of ourselves."

"Still trying to be aloof, huh! By the way, I heard from one of the cultivators here that a group of female cultivators was attacked by Wind Gale tigers while coming here. Do you still want to stubbornly refuse my offer?"

"You… once again, sorry Fellow Daoist Xiao Li, we are fine with just the three of us. Thank you for your concern."

"Hmph! You’ll regret this."

Seeing the leader of the cultivator group named Xiao Li leave angrily, followed by his subordinates who looked at Senior Xue’s group with longing, Ruan Xiaoyue, who was ignored by them, felt somewhat curious about what was actually happening. Her curiosity was soon addressed when Senior Xue spoke to her juniors.

"It’s quite obvious, we were attacked by the tigers because he provoked the monsters to where we were."

"So, Senior Xue, is it okay for us to refuse his invitation?"

"I don’t know. That person holds a grudge against me. I don’t know what he will do if we agree to follow him. At least, since I have refused him, he might seek revenge in the alternate realm. We should be extra cautious when entering the alternate realm."

"I’m sorry, Miss Ruan, for involving you in a conflict that doesn’t concern you."

"It’s okay. Also, I want to ask, who exactly is that very arrogant man?"

"As you heard when I spoke to him, that man’s name is Xiao Li. He is one of the main disciples of the Great Thunder sect, and his father is also one of the elders in the sect, which makes him very arrogant and do whatever he wants without consequences if he commits crimes."

"Why is there no retaliation if he does something wrong? What kind of sect is the Great Thunder?"

"Don’t you know the Great Thunder sect, Miss Ruan? This sect is one of the strongest among the three major sects on the Grim Dawn continent. Since this sect has developed faster than the other two major sects, they have become very arrogant. Their disciples also like to bully disciples from weaker sects. Because of this, if we are not from the other two major sects, it’s better to stay away from the Great Thunder sect," Senior Xue explained in detail as she saw Ruan Xiaoyue shaking her head in ignorance about the sect.

"Oh, then why is that person targeting you?"

"Yeah, it’s because when my master and I went to the Great Thunder sect to pay tribute. If Miss Ruan doesn’t know, every major sect will protect smaller sects if there are issues with paying low-level crystals as tribute every month. While I was waiting outside for my master to pay the tribute, Fellow Daoist Xiao Li approached and tried to flirt with me. Since I rejected him in front of quite a few people in that sect, it probably bruised his ego, leading him to hold a grudge against me."

As Senior Xue was conversing with her juniors and Ruan Xiaoyue, they suddenly fell silent as they heard all the cultivators shouting at the sight of a middle-aged cultivator floating in the sky.

Curious, Ruan Xiaoyue also turned her gaze to the floating cultivator. Upon seeing him, she knew that the cultivator must be extremely powerful from the overwhelming aura he emitted.